Photo: “Alarm Clock 3.” Alan Cleaver. Flickr Creative Commons.
Today I woke up to the sound of music. I’m not talking about Julie Andrews in Austria. I’m talking about my alarm. It wasn’t a terrible beeping, though. I hate those types of alarms. They scare me out of bed and put me into a panic. I would always be waking up thinking I was late. My morning monologue was something like “holy crap”, “this sucks”, “why me?”. I would feel resentful and annoyed. It wasn’t until I started waking up to more peaceful kinds of music that I noticed how that was really affecting me. Those blaring alarms were actually affecting the way I experienced my entire day. I would see class as a chore and a burden. I would feel rushed to the point where I would either physically speed around to get myself ready, out the door, and to wherever I needed to be, or I would become insufferably slow, as though I was at a silent protest against the morning.
So I changed my routine. What a relief! It’s way better, trust me. Music soothes me awake, just as it used to soothe me to sleep. Though, I guess it depends on the kind of music you choose to wake up to. Hold on, people, we’re about to take a step into the world of science (and by science, I mean YouTube). Click here (don’t listen to the whole thing)—>>>>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym8JjY4fy-M .
Welcome back. So, that was kind of nice, huh? That’s the kind of soothing I’m talking about. That can get me through the day. It sets the pace for me. Okay, let’s imagine how music is used in film. Without music, some of the most terrible, scary movies would be only mildly frightening and even humorous in some cases. The music in suspense/horror flicks is intended to affect my breathing, heart rate and ultimately my emotional response. It causes me to react with fear.
Where am I going with this? Good question… What I’m getting at is this: how can we become more aware of our emotions? Better yet, will becoming more aware of our emotions allow us to practice a certain level of control over them? For example, I like being happy, content and excited over being angry, afraid or sad. Knowing that, what is one way I can set myself up to experience more of the emotions that I prefer to experience?
If I want to feel happiness, I can listen to some Sara Bareilles or Jason Mraz. If I want to feel calm and motivated, I listen to some classical guitar music. That’s just me. But seriously, there are physical and emotional responses to musical stimuli. If you’re interested in exploring the topic in greater depth, do some research into music psychology and mood regulation. Check out some books from the library, listen to music, make music, share music and study music. And visit my favorite source of science… YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grsyT0erx6E
Start your day off right. Get your heart beating to the rhythm of your choice. Your emotional wellbeing is important and it could affect others as well, and may ultimately have an impact on the Carolina community. So, be conscious, deliberate, and systematic in your music choices.
“I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.” -Billy Joel
Photo: “Jazz Band.” Kevin Dooley.
Winter break is a much-needed time to relax and catch up on lots of sleep. But as the new semester kicks into gear, early morning classes can leave some of us groggy and half-asleep. Waking up can become increasingly challenging!
Here are a few healthy tips to help you jump out of bed and make it to those early morning classes on time and with energy this semester.
The Basic Approach: Coffee or Tea
For many students, faculty, and staff on campus, caffeine-rich coffee or tea is a staple of the morning routine. If you feel yourself struggling in the morning or falling asleep mid-lecture, a quick trip to one of the local coffee shops around campus may be a necessity on your way to class (or to save money, brew it at home or in the dorm!).
Photo: “Coffee from Tapped & Packed” by Zach Inglis. Flickr Creative Commons.
Photo: “Tea” by Laurel F. Flickr Creative Commons.
In addition to increased productivity and mental clarity, from a health standpoint, coffee and tea offer benefits including a large dose of antioxidants and a decreased likelihood of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia. Further, people who drink coffee and tea regularly tend to have fewer cases of certain types of cancers and strokes. [1] [2]
Like all things in life, though, moderation is key, and too much of anything tends to lead to trouble.
For more information on the benefits and risks of coffee, check out one of our previous Healthy Heels blogs, “Coffee – Good for You?”
The Alternative: Lemon Water
For those looking for a caffeine-free alternative for the morning rush, try a glass of lemon water. This is not your average little wedge of lemon on the side though; we are talking about pretty intense lemon water here. Try a half lemon for folks under 150lbs and a whole lemon for those above 150lbs in a glass of room temperature water. The taste may take a little time to get used to, but the jolt of energy will be immediately noticeable.
Photo: “Lemon” by Lucas Arrrrgh. Flickr Creative Commons.
In addition to perking your system in the morning, highly concentrated lemon water helps with hydration, stomach issues, and bad breath. Lemon water is also known to freshen your skin, pump up the immune system, and cleanse your liver in the process. [3]
The Hardcore Option: Early Morning Workouts
Nothing gets your mind and body awake quite like a morning workout. For those looking for the ultimate solution to a healthy morning pick-me-up, look no further. Working out in the morning has been shown to increase your mental clarity for 4-10 hours post-workout and tends to give people an all around increase in productivity. It may be a struggle to get yourself out of the bed and into the gym, but if you can muster the strength and have the time, the results can speak for themselves. [4]
Photo: “Hotel Gym” by Casa Velas Hotel. Flickr Creative Commons.
Whether it’s coffee, tea, lemon water, a short workout, or even just eating a solid breakfast, start your day off with a healthy kick this semester and ace those early morning classes.
As a Side Note, let’s be clear–you need to sleep! No morning pick-me-up is a replacement for a good night’s rest. Sleep is an uncompromising necessity to your overall health and well-being as a student. For more information about the health benefits of a good night’s rest, and the consequences of sleep deprivation, check out this old Healthy Heels blog: “Missing Impossible: Sleep and the College Student.”
Sources
If you’ve been surfing around the internet lately, you might have come across the buzzword gratitude and it triggered some mental images of people doing yoga or holding hands, etc. I’m a huge fan of the idea of being thankful and accepting and giving appreciation. However, as a current UNC graduate student, I’ve seen (and experienced) that it’s often easier to express gratitude to others than to be kind to our own selves….
So, last semester, I started adding some ‘be kind to yourself’ practices to my everyday school-work routine, and I was not only feeling much less anxious day-to-day, but I was actually 100% enjoying school. I want to share some of my tips with you so that you can all be kind to yourselves and THRIVE this semester.
Photo: “Stabilo pen″ by jbid. Flickr Creative Commons.
CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING: These tips can lower anxiety, help you focus on your schoolwork, and allow you to get to bed earlier! However, please be realistic, flexible, and forgiving. Don’t stress. These are just suggested exercises. Like most exercises, you’ll get faster, better, and more comfortable with practice.
1. Set yourself a time to finish all of your homework by each night.
Allow yourself ample time to do all of your work, make time for meals, and give yourself at least 1 hour to relax and wind-down before going to bed.
2. Set yourself a time limit for reading assignments.
First, only read assignments that are due the next day. Second, give yourself a set number of hours to complete the readings (I give myself 2 hours). Third, count the number of readings you have to do. Fourth, set small goals for each hour (“I will read 2 articles for the first hour and 3 articles in the second hour”).
3. Only EAT while you EAT!
Take time to enjoy your meals and not think about school or work! Try not to do work, check emails, answer calls, or text while you eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Take this time to catch-up on Gilmore Girls on Netflix or to relax to some good music.
4. Schedule in fun time – and feel GREAT about it!
I remember my pre-med days as a UNC undergrad, and it seemed like my life consisted of studying, sleeping (sometimes), and eating. If I was doing something fun, I would feel guilty or feel that I should be spending my time doing something productive. Well, FUN IS productive! As long as you’ve figured out a good balance that works for you, sprinkling in some fun activities in your calendar will keep you motivated and hopefully minimize some stress.
5. Add a little color into your life.
I’m talking PENS y’all! I’ve started using colored pens for note-taking (and stopped bringing my laptop to campus). When I take notes, they look pretty and I enjoy looking at them. It’s that simple! If you enjoy what you’re looking at, you can pay attention and focus longer. It has made note-taking and studying way more fun for me.
Photo: “Stabilo pen″ by jbid. Flickr Creative Commons.
So, I hope that in addition to expressing gratitude for others, I hope you add some kindness to your own life.
*Updated on 9/9/2014*
What is food justice?
“Food Justice views hunger as a result of unjust social dynamics including racism, sexism, homophobia, and classism. Food justice advocates for policies which rebalance food systems in terms of social inequalities, such as government support for farmers of color, marginalized communities of color with poor food access, and exploited workers.” – The Louisville Fellowship of Reconciliation
In other words….food justice addresses the inequality between who gets to eat a variety of healthier and culturally-competent food options and who does not.
What does food justice have to do with health and wellness?
Here at Student Wellness, we like to think of wellness in terms of dimensions. Wellness is not just about being physically healthy and free of sickness or disease; it also means nurturing all the dimensions of wellness, including social, emotional, cultural, intellectual, spiritual, financial, physical, and environmental. Food justice relates to wellness in a number of these dimensions.
Food justice and environmental wellness
Food justice is related to the environment in many ways. Access to food options may be limited due to the location of people’s homes or means of transportation. There may be an absence of fresh food or there could be a limited choice of affordable food items. People’s social environments may stigmatize people who are hungry, which is another aspect of food justice.
Food justice and financial wellness
Food injustice perpetuates the unequal class structure in the United States. Without educating ourselves, we could unintentionally support stigmas and misconceptions around poverty and hunger. One common misconception is that only the poorest of poor people are hungry, but we want everyone to know that hunger can exist outside of poverty.
Food justice and social wellness
By reducing the stigma associated with poverty and hunger, we can create a safer space for people to access free or low cost food without harassment, judgment, or condescension. We can do this by normalizing the usage of places like food pantries or food justice community gardens.
We should avoid falling into the trap of “I’m helping you. I’m serving you. (I’m better than you),” also known as the “savior complex.” We can avoid this by transforming traditional “community service” or “volunteering” opportunities into those that create a social culture where ALL people work together to support each other.
By working together we can strengthen interpersonal relationships. This is the groundwork for community empowerment.
What does food justice have to do with UNC?
Student Wellness and other campus and community partners are very proud to support a wonderful student initiative! Starting October 17, 2014, we will welcome UNC’s very first on-campus food pantry: The Carolina Cupboard. This pantry will be located in the Avery Residence Hall Basement, Room #BC and will be open to UNC students. Stay tuned for more information on how you can qualify!
By bringing a pantry to campus we are increasing access to food and promoting food justice. We hope you will work with us, the Residence Hall Association, the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life and Community Involvement, and other advisory board representatives to join this group of motivated and passionate undergraduate students to reduce stigma!
What does it have to do with us (students)?
This is a unique opportunity at Carolina for all of us to educate ourselves about the issues affecting our Tar Heel community. It’s up to ALL of us to make sure we all feel safe, supported, and included on this campus. Soon, the campus will be flooded with donation bins (graciously supplied by Vice Chancellor Crisp) in various locations – including our Wellness Suite on the 2nd floor of the Campus Health Building. Once the donation bins are up and running, we encourage you to fill them up!
Here’s what you can do NOW: ‘Like’ the Tar Heel Wellness Challenge Facebook page. For the next 14 days, we have a social media challenge about “Environmental Wellness,” one of the dimensions we talked about above. Comment on this blog post below or write a post on the Facebook page with #THWC. You can write about food justice, environmental wellness, or another relevant topic that is important to you. By participating in an activity (such as a writing exercise) related to environmental wellness, you get entered into a raffle to win $20.00 to the UNC Student Stores!
Stay tuned for more information, including the Carolina Cupboard’s new website! In the meantime, participate in the #THWC challenge, and mark your calendars from September 29 through October 3 for a UNC Food Pantry kick-off week!
Updates: Check out Carolina Cupboard’s social media pages!
Website: http://carolinacupboard.strikingly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarolinaCupboard
Twitter: @UNCFoodPantry
Jani
Welcome (back) to Carolina! It’s a brand new year with new classes, new opportunities, and possibly new friends. Maybe you’re ready to hit the ground running or maybe you’re a bit anxious about all of these changes. Either way, Student Wellness is here to help you find your way. Specifically, we want to make sure that you know what resources are available and nearest to you for two reasons:
- If you know where helpful resources are NOW, then in times of need, you’ll know exactly where to go (or where to direct your friends)!
- We want you to become familiar with what resources this fantastic campus has to offer. I can tell you from personal experience that I WISH I knew these places existed, and I found out about them…4 years too late!
image from 5kmissionpossible.com
It’s time to WIN PRIZES! Here’s how to play:
- Below you’ll find some of my favorite Carolina hotspots, split up by location.
- Visit at least 1 spot in each location category (South Campus, Bell Tower, Old Well)
- Take a selfie in front of the building or sign or whatever is accessible for you.
- Post that photo to Instagram or to the Tar Heel Wellness Challenge Facebook Page with #THWC for a chance to win a $20.00 gift card for UNC Student Stores!
- Come visit us at Student Wellness Services on the 2nd floor of the Campus Health (James A. Taylor) building, show us your pics, and EVERY PERSON will leave with a prize – whether it’s a pair of rockin’ sunglasses, a sweet notebook, or a surprise!
Jani’s Favorite Campus Hotspots
Visit each center’s website for some great online resources!
image from housing.unc.edu
Near the South Campus Dorms…
The Learning Center
SASB North
This center has a great supportive environment. They connect you with peer tutors, academic coaches, study groups, and learning disability and accessibility resources. They can also help you out with test prep!
The Writing Center
SASB North
Folks at this center edit and proofread papers and even help develop your unorganized thoughts into a full essay. They send a notice to your professor to let them know you’re taking advantage of their resource, you really care about the work, and you take it seriously. In my experience, this really helped boost my grades.
LGBTQ Center
SASB North
This is a wonderful place to meet great people. The center also has a resource library and a cozy, safer space to relax in. You do not have to identify as gay, queer, bisexual, etc. to enjoy this space!
Accessibility Resources and Services
SASB North
This center hooks you up with alternative testing conditions, provides assistive listening devices, provides means of alternative format course textbooks, and more. As someone who gets panic attacks and an increase in my anxiety in high-stress situations, I wish I took advantage of these services as an undergrad. You can BET I’m going to as a graduate student!
Rams Head Rec Center
Near Morrison and Rams Head Dining Center
This gym has group classes throughout the day, exercise equipment, and a climbing wall.
Tip: To get from South Campus (first-year dorms) to Mid Campus (classes) the fastest – walk to Morrison, find the path that starts behind the dumpsters and goes through a wooded area. The path exits at the Campus Health Building (James A. Taylor Building)!
image from unc.edu
Near the Bell Tower…
Women’s Center
Stone Center
This is a great place to chat and connect with people who are passionate about gender equity work. There are also tons of interesting classes, lectures, and performances hosted here throughout the semester.
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
3rd floor of Campus Health Building (James A. Taylor Building)
CAPS offers a range of mental health services from 1-on-1 counseling to group therapy.
Campus Health Services
1st floor of Campus Health Building (James A. Taylor Building)
Feeling under the weather? See a doctor at CHS for free. You can also visit CHS for anything from a pelvic exam to immunizations.
Healthy Heels Shoppe
Basement of Campus Health Building (James A. Taylor Building)
Get everything you need from prescription refills to popular over-the-counter meds and nutrition bars.
Student Wellness Services
2nd floor of Campus Health Building (James A. Taylor Building)
This is the greatest spot on campus 😉 But for real – we offer a supportive, safer, and non-judgmental environment for conversations around health and well-being. We connect you to peer education groups, campus student groups and resources, or trained staff that can discuss an array of topics from HIV testing to microaggressions to decision-making to active bystander skills.
Student Rec Center
Near Student Stores, the Football Stadium, on Stadium Drive
This is another gym on campus that has fun group classes and equipment. It’s very easy to stop by between classes.
The Study Abroad Office
FedEx Global Education Center, up McCauley Street
The building itself is awesome with a lovely café and cozy study spots throughout. Advisors connect you to programs around the world depending on your interests, major, and goals. They’ll also work with you on how to transfer classes back to UNC for course credit. For example, I learned how to pick classes strategically at Dublin City University in Dublin, Ireland to count towards my Environmental Sciences and Engineering BSPH degree. I ended up not having to take some required courses at UNC and was able to take some fun electives my senior year.
image from unc.edu
Near the Old Well…
Academic Advising
Steele Building, Near South Building and Saunders Hall
Do you have a hold on class registration because you haven’t seen your academic advisor? I suggest you visit advising on a regular basis, not just before registering for classes!
Career Services
Hanes Hall (NOT HANES ART CENTER!), across from Saunders, near Carroll Hall (School of Journalism and Mass Communication)
Don’t wait until senior year. This is a great place to come chat about your passions and they’ll help connect you with jobs and internships throughout your time at UNC to figure out what you like and don’t like.
The Office of Scholarship and Student Aid
Pettigrew Hall, North Campus across from the Franklin Street Post Office
Whether you’re an undergraduate or professional student, you can visit walk-in hours to ask advisors financial questions or to get info about financial aid and scholarship options.
SO, start clicking away, snap some pics, and get hashtaggin’! I hope to see you all in our office soon J
Jani
Okay sure, if you’re reading this, you’re most likely breathing already, I’ll give you that, but what is the quality of your breath?
Breath is at the root of everything our bodies do. And even though I know this–and I even teach this–I regularly forget to really breathe. Multiple times a day, I’ll check in to find myself holding my breath or breathing only into and out of the top part of my chest.
Breath and Behavior
When I work with actors (as a part of Interactive Theatre Carolina) or when I teach yoga, I start exercises with or even center entire lessons around the breath. New actors will often glance around wondering if I’m for real. I can see the wheels turning in their heads: “What does this have to do with being onstage and laughing and yelling and crying and looking believable?” Well…
What happens when you get onstage? People look at you. It’s stressful. You get nervous. What happens when you get nervous? Your breath gets shallow and fast. What happens when your breath gets shallow and fast? Your voice gets softer, your movements are compromised, and your attention is less available to the people trying to interact with you.
Even if you have absolutely no theatrical aspirations, our breath is linked to stress, and being aware of our breath can help us manage stress.
Breath and Health
It’s not news that our muscles, organs, brains, and other innards function best when they’re provided oxygen and rid of carbon dioxide. Think of the unhealthy chain reactions that can happen when we regularly shortchange our physical selves of the breath we need.
The sympathetic nervous system (the system responsible for the “fight or flight” response), while evolutionarily useful for getting us through dangerous moments (like…if you find yourself needing to outrun a lion), still gets triggered when we’re stressed (like…when your printer jams 5 minutes before you’re supposed to turn in that thing that’s now crumpled in the paper tray), and when engaged too often, this reaction takes an understandable toll on our bodies.
AND HERE’S THE THING:
If we’re not breathing to the best of our abilities even in times when we are NOT stressed, it still makes our bodies feel like we ARE stressed.
Life is stressful enough, y’all. Why would we do that to ourselves?
I can’t answer for you, but I can speak for my own bad breathing habits. I’ve started to watch and I notice I hold my breath when feeling guilty, when pretending to listen to someone but thinking about something else, when trying to walk quickly because I’m late, when avoiding something, when not being present—just to name a few. See if you can notice your own sticky moments. It can be revelatory. And shifting the experience of those moments is as simple as inhaling deep into your stomach and letting the breath slowly out.
AND ANOTHER THING:
As a young woman, I was taught–like many others–to suck in my stomach to keep myself attractive. I’d be lying if I told you that I’ve totally gotten over that, even though I know it doesn’t feel good, it robs me of breath, and it’s a messed up idea. Why should I stress my body out daily in an attempt to satisfy some unhealthy thin ideal I don’t even agree with? But letting go of these habits and these old ideas takes practice.
Ever gotten the advice to change the way you react to things you cannot change? Depending on the situation…that can be really annoying advice. And I’m not seriously going to tell you that deep breathing will solve all of the things that stress you out or even dismantle the social structures that perpetuate a thin ideal.
But breathing deeply is good for you. And it’s a little thing you can definitely do. And it will help to keep you healthy so that you CAN do the important stuff…like dismantle the social structures that perpetuate a thin ideal 🙂
But you don’t have to just take my word for it…
http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858
http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update1006a.shtml
http://www.oprah.com/health/Benefits-of-Breathing-Breath-Exercises
http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/stress-management/deep-breathing.htm
I feel like no matter what I do, I perpetually have dark circles under my eyes. I don’t remember having these when I was younger, so I spent some time reading about common causes and solutions. Read below to find out Continue reading